Derek Strahan

Aside from running the Lost New England blog, Derek Strahan is the author of two books: Lost Springfield, Massachusetts and New England Then and Now, along with being the host of the Western Mass History podcast. Derek is a graduate of Westfield State University, with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and he currently works as a land use and environment planner in Western Massachusetts. Derek also serves on the board of directors of the Springfield Preservation Trust, and he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Melissa and their two sons.

Boston Molasses Disaster (3)

November 25, 2016July 20, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Engine 31 firehouse along Commercial Street in Boston’s North End, following the 1919 Boston Molasses Disaster. Image courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The scene in 2014:

As mentioned in this post, the Engine 31 firehouse was located right next to the molasses storage tank, and was knocked off of its foundation by the 25-foot wave that resulted when the tank burst. One firefighter, George Layhe, was trapped under the building and drowned in the molasses. Today, the scene along the waterfront is a public park, with little evidence of its industrial past or the disaster that occurred here 95 years ago.

Boston Molasses Disaster (2)

November 25, 2016July 20, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Another view of the aftermath of the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919. Image courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The scene in 2014:

Because of the properties of molasses, a flood of it is very different from a flood of water or similar liquid. Many victims of the January 15, 1919 Boston Molasses Disaster drowned in the molasses, not necessarily because they didn’t know how to swim, but because swimming in molasses is impossible. It also made rescue and recovery operations difficult; notice the firemen wading in knee-deep molasses, with everything around them coated in it. In this particular scene, they are working next to a firehouse that once existed along the waterfront; it was completely swept off of its foundation by the 25-foot wave of molasses that came when the nearby storage tank burst. One fireman at the station, George Layhe, was trapped under the building and drowned in the molasses; he was one of the 21 people killed in the accident. Today, the site of the molasses tank and the firehouse has been turned into a public park, as seen in the 2014 photo.

Boston Molasses Disaster (1)

November 25, 2016July 20, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view looking northwest on Commercial Street in Boston’s North End in 1919, in the aftermath of the Boston Molasses Disaster. Image courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The same scene in 2014:

It almost seems comical to think of a massive flood of molasses, but the Boston Molasses Disaster was actually a serious tragedy that killed 21 people and injuring about 150 others. On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot tall tank of molasses burst along the waterfront in the North End, flooding the neighborhood with 2.3 million gallons of the thick, sticky substance.

The tank was located on the left-hand side of Commercial Street, just to the right of the photo, and along with killing or injuring a number of people, it also caused substantial property damage, sweeping buildings off their foundations as causing heavy damage to the Commercial Street elevated railway, as seen in the photo above. Today, the elevated tracks are long gone, and most of what was once an industrial area on the right-hand side along the waterfront is now a public park.

Paper Mills, Holyoke Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A view of some of the paper mills in Holyoke, Mass, around 1900-1906. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same view in 2014:

It’s a common scene in New England – a once prosperous mill town that fell on hard times once the manufacturing jobs left. Holyoke Massachusetts is a prime example of this; it is located along the Hadley Falls on the Connecticut River, which made it an ideal location for water-powered mills. In 1849, a system of power canals was built parallel to the river, and this section of Holyoke was developed as an industrial center. The city became home to a number of paper mills, giving rise to its nickname as the “Paper City.” One such paper company, the American Pad & Paper Company, was founded in Holyoke in 1888, and is now one of the world’s largest paper manufacturers, Ampad.

This particular view looks down one of the canals from Gatehouse Road, with several mill buildings visible to the left and center of the photo. The building in the distance in left-center is identified in the first photo as the Valley Paper Company, and although I don’t know what became of the company, their building still exists today, along with many other, now-vacant brick factories in the city.

The Northfield Hotel, Northfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Northfield Hotel around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The site in 2014:

Northfield Massachusetts was never a particularly prominent town for much of its history, but this changed after one of its residents, D.L. Moody, gained worldwide fame as a Christian evangelist. In addition to work that he did in Chicago and overseas in England, Moody also had an impact on his hometown, opening the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in 1879. This brought an increase in demand for services such as hotels, including The Northfield, which opened in 1887, just a short distance away from the Northfield Seminary.

Facing dwingling guests, the hotel closed in the 1970s and was demolished, although its well-landscaped grounds became home of the Northfield Golf Club. A few reminders of the old hotel still exist, including the pond in the foreground, the stone wall, and the footbridge across the stream.

D.L. Moody Residence, Northfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The former residence of D.L. Moody, on the grounds of Northfield Seminary around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The house in 2014:

D.L. Moody was an influential Christian evangelist throughout much of the late 19th century. He was born in Northfield, Massachusetts in 1837, in a house just up the hill behind this building. He later lived in Boston and Chicago, in addition to traveling around the country and to Europe as part of his evangelistic tours. He returned to Northfield in 1875, and in 1879 he opened the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies, which later became the Northfield campus of Northfield Mount Hermon School. This house, which he lived in after his return to Northfield, is part of the campus, which has been vacant since 2006, when the school consolidated to just the Mount Hermon campus in nearby Gill.